I wonder why they didn't pick Metapistol.
I too hope that nobody actually uses such a mnemonic in this day and age, but for such a mnemonic to be forgotten entirely would be a massive loss. Whitewashing the past of its blatant racism and sexism will only serve to erase the reminders we as a society have of why the present is an improvement on the past. Every artifact of such archaic and abhorrent beliefs serves as yet another datapoint demonstrating the whole concept of "Mak[ing] America Great Again™" to be misguided at best and abhorrent at worst.
In other words: we absolutely shouldn't be teaching such a mnemonic in classrooms, but we absolutely should continue to document their existence as evidence of exactly how fucked up the past really was.
HN has a setting that allows you to view dead posts.
OK, try getting a PR department to sign off on that.
And they presented it at Hushcon before with approval so what's the problem with that?
I don't see why you keep defending Salesforce, they did mess up even if say the employees did not go through the approval process. You don't fire People over that, especially if previous talks are public on the same subject. Especially not at Defcon. That's why SF is in the wrong.
Why do we have to feel obliged to take offense at the whole word due to one slang definition.
Why should MEATPISTOL be a problem?
retard
1. to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede. verb (used without object)
2. to be delayed.
noun
3. a slowing down, diminution, or hindrance, as in a machine.
4. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a person who is cognitively impaired.
a person who is stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way: a hopeless social retard.
5. Automotive, Machinery. an adjustment made in the setting of the distributor of an internal-combustion engine so that the spark for ignition in each cylinder is generated later in the cycle.
Seriously, there is a balance to be had. People who went through traumatic events are often offered therapy precisely because you can't reasonably expect the entire world to guess and remove every single thing that can trigger someone's hurtful memories.
I'm so used to hearing without any conceit that antibacterial mouthwashes can retard bacterial growth.
Actively developing and planning to release a malware creation tool? That sounds like developing and releasing cyber weaponry. We've got export laws regarding that IIRC.
[1] https://community.rapid7.com/community/infosec/blog/2015/06/...
I think that article only emphasises that it is not subject to those regulations. Quote:
We conclude that, at a technical level, the distinction between weaponry and non-weapon malicious software lies in the payload component of the tool, which must be capable of creating destructive digital or physical effects
Meatpistol is only a framework, therefore there's no payload component.
Also why pull out in the last 30 mins? And why fire them? No warnings ? Mistakes happen, you don't fire a director for something like that. The PR process is to make sure the company's image looks good, who better knows the Defcon audience? Hackers or PR people who don't understand the framework?
There is really no other way to see it than Salesforce fucked up.